The Ingham County Board of Commissioners is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to fire top animal control officials, according to a statement from two animal rights groups.

Ingham County Animal Control and Shelter Director John Dinon and Assistant Director Anne Burns have come under fire in recent months for alleged mistreatment of animals under their care. On July 12, a panel representing some members of the Board of Commissioners voted to recommend suspending the two officials without pay until further investigation had concluded.

The full Board of Commissioners is meeting on Tuesday and two animal rights groups, Advocates for Reform at the Ingham County Animal Shelter and Save the Lansing Michigan Pit Bulls, claim the board may vote to fire Dinon and Burns. A spokeswoman for the board told the Free Press that while the fate of Dinon and Burns isn't on the agenda, "that doesn't mean it won't come up."

The controversy stems from accusations that the county shelter failed to properly care for five dogs taken in as part of a broader investigation into dogfighting. Because the 50 dogs taken in as part of the investigation were evidence in a court case, they had to be held in the shelter for longer than usual, which may have contributed to logistical complications.

A Humane Society report blew the whistle on the suffering of five dogs in particular, two of which had to be euthanized several months after they were taken into the shelter. One dog was euthanized due to a suspected intestinal blockage that could have been avoided had officials heeded a veterinarian's warning days earlier, the report said. Another died of internal bleeding three months into its stay at the shelter – the cause of the bleeding is still unknown.

The remaining three dogs suffered from emaciation due to unmonitored diarrhea but have since recovered.